Earth is a planet born of fire.
For billions of years, volcanoes have helped create the world we know. From the continents to the air we breathe and even life itself, all have their origins in fire. These processes have created extraordinary...

Grab your mask and snorkel and come on an unforgettable adventure! Great Barrier Reef captures the natural beauty of the world’s largest living wonder and introduces us to the visionaries and citizen scientists who are helping us better understand this...

Join an immersive IMAX adventure to experience the life-saving superpowers and extraordinary bravery of some of the world's most amazing dogs. No stranger to superheroes himself, Chris Evans narrates this inspiring true story about remarkable (or is that...

The Fleet's newest exhibition, Pause|Play, is an invitation for the young and the young-at-heart to leave the digital world behind, hit pause on their busy lives and recapture the nostalgia of play. Science has shown that play has a number of cognitive,...

As Tim Gunn is fond of saying, “Make. It. Work!” And that’s the idea behind our Make-It Workshop, a creative and interactive workshop for innovators and other curious minds. We invite you to stop by Studio X (formerly Tinkering Studio) on Saturdays to...

Stay and play—and save!—until 10 p.m. on Friday nights this summer!
Bring the entire family to experience the Fleet at night! Enjoy extended evening hours at the Fleet in celebration of The Art of Summer in Balboa Park. Peruse Pause|Play late into...

Grownups! You get the science center all to yourself (no kids allowed!) to explore exhibits at a savings, enjoy an adult beverage and rock out to music on Saturday nights this summer.
Adult Recess provides your chance to take over the Fleet's...

The first Monday of every month, seniors 65 and better can enjoy the Science Center exhibits, a show in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater and a lecture on the quietest day of the month for only $10! No coupons or additional discounts are accepted. The Fleet...

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Join us on the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. or 8:15 p.m. for a tour of the solar system narrated by the Fleet’s astronomer. Journey through the cosmos with us as we explore a new topic each month.
For optimal viewing, each show is...

Join us on the second weekend of each month to investigate exciting science topics. Sessions will be filled with new challenges, hands-on activities and interaction with local scientists. Throughout the year, we will explore an array of fields including...

May 30, 2017

Fourteen of the top 20 tallest bridges are located in China. The Longjiang Bridge is China’s longest and highest suspension bridge. Spanning a distance almost equal to the Golden Gate Bridge, the Longjiang towers 900 feet above a river gorge in western Yunnan Province.

A close-up view of the Shanghai Tower’s aerodynamic twist, which reduces the impact of typhoon winds on this 2073-foot, 128-story structure.

The Shanghai skyline includes the Shanghai Tower, where 16,000 people live, work and play. The skyscraper is the world’s second tallest building, and its innovative design is featured in Dream Big.

On China’s central coast, Shanghai engineers build ever-taller buildings to accommodate the city’s 24 million residents. Its skyline includes the 2,073-ft Shanghai Tower, where 16,000 people live, work and play.

The Great Wall of China has endured for thousands of years. In Dream Big, viewers learn that in some sections of the wall, builders used sticky rice in the mortar, which enhanced its durability. Copyright: Sophy Ru

Engineers led by Avery Bang work on the new Chameau footbridge in Haiti. Bridges like these, built in developing countries, signal a new field of study and work called humanitarian engineering.

Engineers work on the final pieces of the Chameau footbridge in Haiti. The Chameau Bridge will provide much-needed access to schools and medical care for isolated, rural families.

Haitian schoolgirls are among the first to walk across the newly built Chameau Bridge in Haiti. The bridge was built by the non-profit group Bridges to Prosperity, led by Avery Bang, which brings the benefits of engineering to developing countries.

Engineer Avery Bang celebrates with local Haitian families who will benefit from the new Chameau Bridge. Avery is the head of the non-profit group Bridges to Prosperity, which has built more than 200 bridges in impoverished countries.

Innovative engineers designed the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland, which moves boats between two different levels of canals. It is the only rotating boat lift of its kind in the world.

Fredi Lajvardi, head of the Robotics Team at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona, with Angelica Hernandez, whose robotics team unexpectedly beat MIT during an underwater robot competition.

Engineer Angelica Hernandez mentors students from her former Phoenix high school as they prepare to enter a robotics contest.

“Stinky” the robot completes a task during an underwater robot competition. The team of high school engineers at Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix, Arizona surprised everyone with their robot and their ingenuity.

Engineer Menzer Pehlivan and a group of children enjoy a ride on a roller coaster; a feat of engineering that brings fun and thrills to people everywhere

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is the largest solar thermal power plant in the world. Located in the Mojave Desert, the Ivanpah deploys 173,500 heliostat mirrors and has a gross capacity of 392 megawatts. Engineers in the clean tech industry look for ways to use renewable energy to help build a more sustainable future.

An engineer performs a routine inspection of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. The Golden Gate is a suspension bridge designed by a team of engineers in the 1930s. Up until 1964, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.

Below is the June 2017 Schedule for IMAX® Films and Planetarium Shows in the Fleet Science Center's Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater.

Dream Big: Engineering Our World.Dream Big: Engineering Our World will transform how we think about engineering. From the world's tallest buildings to underwater robots and a solar car race across Australia, Dream Big celebrates the human ingenuity behind engineering marvels big and small. The film shows how engineers push the limits of innovation in unexpected and amazing ways. With its inspiring stories of human grit and aspiration, and extraordinary visuals for the world's largest screens, Dream Big reveals the compassion and creativity that drive engineers to create better lives for people and a more sustainable future for us all. Dream Big is a MacGillivray Freeman film in partnership with American Society of Civil Engineers, presented by Bechtel Corporation and sponsored locally by The Shiley Foundation. (42 mins.) Monday through Thursday at 1PM & 4PM. Friday at 1PM, 4PM & 6PM. Saturday and Sunday at 11AM, 1PM, 4PM & 6PM. (Please note: 6/2 and 6/23 at 1PM, 4PM, 6PM & 7PM. 6/6 at 11AM, 1PM & 4PM. 6/25 at 11AM, 1PM & 4PM only).

Extreme Weather. Weather is one of the most dynamic forces shaping our planet, but now it's more extreme and complex than ever. Extreme Weather takes us to the frontlines where few have gone. Travel to the edge of 300-foot tall glaciers collapsing, to the front lines of massive wildfires, directly in the path of deadly, yet mesmerizing tornadoes. Follow researchers and everyday heroes as they uncover surprising connections to help us understand and adapt to our ever-changing weather. (40 mins.) Daily at 3PM. (Please note: 6/16 at 3PM & 7PM).

A Beautiful Planet. A Beautiful Planet is a breathtaking portrait of Earth from space, providing a unique perspective and increased understanding of our planet and galaxy as never seen before. Made in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the film features stunning footage of our magnificent blue planet--and the effects humanity has had on it over time--captured by the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). From space, Earth blazes at night with the electric intensity of human expansion--a direct visualization of our changing world. But it is within our power to protect the planet. As we continue to explore and gain knowledge of our galaxy, we also develop a deeper connection to the place we all call home. From IMAX Entertainment and Toni Myers--the acclaimed filmmaker behind celebrated IMAX® documentaries Blue Planet, Hubble, and Space Station--A Beautiful Planet presents an awe-inspiring glimpse of Earth and a hopeful look into the future of humanity. (45 mins.) Daily at 12PM & 5PM. (Please note: 6/5 and 6/29 at 12PM only).

National Parks Adventure. Narrated by Academy Award® winner Robert Redford, National Parks Adventure takes audiences on the ultimate off-trail adventure into the nation's awe-inspiring great outdoors and untamed wilderness. Immersive IMAX® 3D cinematography takes viewers soaring over red rock canyons, hurtling up craggy mountain peaks and into other-worldly realms found within America's most legendary outdoor playgrounds, including Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Yosemite, the Everglades and Arches. Celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the national parks with world-class mountaineer Conrad Anker, adventure photographer Max Lowe and artist Rachel Pohl as they hike, climb and explore their way across America's majestic parks in an action-packed expedition that will inspire the adventurer in us all. National Parks Adventure is a MacGillivray Freeman film produced in association with Brand USA and presented by Expedia, Inc. and Subaru of America, Inc. Major support provided by the Giant Dome Theater Consortium. (40 mins.)

The Sky Tonight: Spectacular Summer Sky. What planets and constellations are visible in the evening sky this month? Why does June mark the beginning of summer? Join us to take a tour of the spectacular summer sky! Get up close to the wonders of our universe with planetarium shows on the first Wednesday of every month. Our astronomer will take you on a journey through the cosmos and guide you into the depths of space. The San Diego County Astronomy Association provides free telescope viewing outdoors on the Prado in Balboa Park, weather and operational requirements permitting.

The Fleet Science Center is home to Southern California's only Giant Dome Theater, which reopened in 2012 after extensive renovations as the Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. Our theater is extraordinary in many ways.

* It is the world's first IMAX Dome Theater.

* It features the world's first NanoSeamTM Dome screen in an IMAX theater.

* It offers two unique experiences in one space: IMAX films and planetarium shows.

Our Giant Dome Theater has a gigantic, curved screen that wraps the entire theater. This hemispherical screen offers an immersive viewing experience, enhancing the feeling of motion and giving you the sensation that you're in the show.

What Is IMAX?

IMAX is the world's largest film format, yielding incredible clarity and spectacular images. IMAX films are projected by special projectors that weigh as much as a small car and enable the incredible film images to be projected with brightness and clarity on the huge Dome screen.

What Are Planetarium Shows?

The Heikoff Giant Dome Theater boasts a state-of-the-art digital SkyScan projection system. The Fleet uses this system to project planetarium shows that allow audiences to journey to the outer reaches of space from the comfort of their theater seats. We show pre-produced planetarium programs (some of which are created by our own stellar in-house team!) as well as The Sky Tonight, which is a monthly live, astronomer-led planetarium show.

Captioning

The Fleet offers two options for hearing-impaired guests: closed-captions and assistive listening devices.

Our closed-captioning system is an enhancement of the Rear Window system. When you purchase your ticket, tell the guest services associate that you would like to use the closed-caption service. The service is complimentary, and it is accessible in the upper-right seating area of the theater.

Assistive listening devices increase the intelligibility of theater presentations by enhancing the narration and dialogue and lowering music and sound effects. Ask for a complimentary headset at the Ticket Counter.

What's Showing?

The Fleet opens several IMAX films and planetarium shows each year. Films and shows screen on the hour. The Sky Tonight is held on the first Wednesday of each month. For the latest show information and to purchase tickets online, visit www.fleetscience.org.

IMAX en Español

Headsets are always available free of charge for audiences to listen to available Spanish soundtracks when films with English soundtracks play in the normal daily schedule.

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About the Fleet Science Center:

The Fleet Science Center connects people of all ages to the possibilities and power of science to create a better future. At the science center, you can explore and investigate more than 100 interactive exhibits that pique your curiosity and become immersed in an IMAX film adventure that shows the wonders of the planet--and beyond--in the Eugene Heikoff and Marilyn Jacobs Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. For young science enthusiasts, the Fleet hosts school field trips, science workshops and educational camps. For adults, we offer events like Fleet Night of Science and community events, such as Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar™. In the community, we also provide free neighborhood science events weekly through 52 Weeks of Science. Teachers are encouraged to join our Teacher Partner Program and take advantage of our professional development opportunities. Additionally, at the Fleet Science Center, visitors will find unique educational toys and games, books, IMAX DVDs and more in the North Star Science Store, and pizzas, sandwiches, salads and healthy treats in our Craveology cafe. Located in Balboa Park, at 1875 El Prado, two blocks south of the San Diego Zoo on Park Blvd., the Fleet is San Diego's science center. Science starts here and opens a world of possibility.For information regarding current admission prices, visit our website at fleetscience.org.

About Balboa Park:

Located near downtown San Diego, Balboa Park is the largest urbancultural park in the United States. First established by the City of San Diego in 1868, it is also one of the oldest city parks in the nation and is the most visited single destination in San Diego. Its 1,200 acres include 17 museums, many gardens and attractions, the San Diego Zoo, miles of hiking trails, and multiple athletic complexes to explore and discover. For more information, visit balboapark.org.